The New York Marathon
by Late-For-Dinner
Summary: This is how the day that Mac injured her ankle at the New York Marathon, which led to Will carrying her to the first aid tent and missing the race, went down in my mind. ;) Will/Mac one shot. Rather fluffy.


_**So, this is my first fic, so please be gentle with me. I'm a huge fan of The Newsroom and absolutely adore Will and Mac. Sadly I am in no way affiliated with the show (if I was, these 2 would be together). I own nothing, I'm simply borrowing Mr Sorkin's wonderful characters for my own entertainment…**_

_**This is set back in November 2007 and Will and Mac are still together. This is how the day of the New York Marathon, where Mac hurt her ankle, played out in my mind… Anyways, enough rambling, I hope you enjoy it. **_

November 4th 2007

It was a crisp autumn day in New York City and Will McAvoy had signed up to run the New York marathon with his girlfriend Mackenzie McHale. They'd been training for months and the morning of the race had finally come around. They got up early, had a breakfast of plain yogurt, sliced fruit, a splash of maple syrup, and a slice of whole grain bread, which they knew would provide them with protein, complex carbohydrates, and fat that they'd need to give them a good start and keep them going throughout the race.

"Billy, do we really have to do this? I know we agreed and people are counting on us, but I don't feel ready to run a marathon, I don't think I've trained enough… Let's just go back to bed and no one will even know?" Mac whined as they left Will's apartment and headed towards the park for their warm up.

"Come on Mac, it'll be fun! Think of all the training we've done and work we've put in to get here.m Heck, you're in better shape than I am! Besides, like you said, there are people counting on us. Too many people know that I've signed up for me to simply pull out at the last minute."

"Damn you and your conscience Billy!" She laughed, taking his hand and dragging him into park. "Well, if that's the case, let's get this warm up done, the sooner we start, the sooner we finish!"

He groaned, before being grabbed by Mac, who pulled him off the bench he'd been perched on and dragged him away to start into one of her rigour warm ups.

Before they knew it, it was 11am, their warm up was done and they were waiting at the start line, ready to go. Now it was Will's turn to get cold feet.

"Mac, I'm way too old to be doing something like this. Before we started training, I hadn't done any kind of workout since I played ball in high school, why'd I let you talk me into this?" He asked as a feeling of insecurity about his ability to run 26.2 miles began to bubble inside of him.

"I gave you the chance to back out early; we can't do anything about it now we're at the start line. Remember, people are counting on us." She replied with a smirk, before giving him a quick, reassuring kiss. She didn't care who saw them, they were deeply in love and that was all that mattered right now. "Besides, the adrenaline is beginning to kick in and I'm getting quite excited about doing this. It'll be fun!"

"There's the Mac I know, one of the few people who gets excited about pushing themselves to the limit and running 26 miles, even though she's never done any kind of physical activity in her life." He laughed, poking fun at her.

"Excuse me 'Mr-I-could-have-been-pro!' We weren't all lucky enough to have been blessed with the athletic ability of you! Besides, it was you who talked me into doing, this not the other way around! You're the one who's on a mission to civilize and thought this would help along the way." She giggled sticking her tongue out at him. "But, I must admit, my number one reason for doing this with you," she whispered into his ear, "was the fact that I'd get to stare at you in your teeny shorts all day. That's one view that I'll never tire of."

"The view I have of you in those shorts into too bad either." He added with a wink. "Right, let's get down to business; this race is due to start anytime." No sooner were the words out of his mouth, than the sound of a gunshot could be heard and the New York Marathon had begun.

The crowds began to move and in the midst of the surge of people Mac somehow managed to trip. Whether it was over her own feet or someone else's she didn't know, all she knew was that she was having serious trouble getting back up, anytime she tried to put any kind of pressure on her right foot, she felt a stabbing pain in her ankle. Will was nowhere to be seen, but she knew that if she called out to him, he'd be by her side in an instant.

"Will?"

Nothing.

"Will?"

Still nothing.

A little louder this time. "Billy?"

Then she was saw him, she knew calling him by his nickname would get his attention. As soon as he saw her, a look of concern swept across his face and he was by her side within seconds.

"Mac, are you ok? What happened? Can you get up?" He asked kneeling beside her.

"I'll be fine, I think I might have tripped over my own feet…" She replied, feeling a blush rise on her face as she spoke. "I can't seem to get up, if I put any kind of pressure on my foot, I get a serious stabbing pain. I'm sorry, but I don't think I'll be able to finish the race. If you just help me to the first aid tent, then I'll let you get on with it, I'll make sure they put me somewhere I can watch and I'll be cheering you on!" She rambled.

Before she knew it, she was in Will's arms, being rushed to the first aid tent.

"Hi guys, I'm sorry, my girlfriend has somehow managed to trip over her own feet and isn't able to put pressure on her ankle." Will stated, setting her down on one of the beds. "I think it's all part of some kind of plan to avoid having to run the race." He added, with a wink, squeezing Mac's hand.

"Really, I'll be fine." Mac protested, "I bet I just twisted it." She added, trying to get down from the bed. But as soon as she put pressure on her foot, she winced in pain. "Ok, maybe not. It might be better to let you guys have a look. Billy, go back to the race, I'll be fine, these guys will take good care of me."

"Mac, there's absolutely no way I'm going to run that race with you lying here!" She could see the concern on his face and knew there was no point in arguing. "Besides, it wouldn't be any fun without you by my side, encouraging me to keep going. I don't think I'd be able to do it without you." He added, giving her hand an encouraging squeeze.

About 30 minutes and an x-ray later, the doctor came back and informed Mac that she hadn't broken her ankle, but it was badly sprained. He advised her to keep it elevated and place ice packs on it in order to keep the swelling down. He also told her that she wasn't allowed to do any strenuous activity, including being on her feet for prolonged periods for 6-8 weeks, and that during this period it must be strapped up at all times.

"But, I'm his EP, he needs me, I need to be able to keep him in check. I'm on my feet for hours every day. How can I do my job, if I'm not allowed to do anything strenuous?!" She exclaimed.

"Don't worry doctor, I'll make sure she follows all of your instructions! She won't have any unnecessary stress, I'll make it my personal mission." Will replied.

"But…"

"No buts! You can still do your job, you just won't be on your feet, you can still shout at me from a chair. The only thing that matters is getting you back to normal." He replied seriously.

"Ok boss… If you say so." She added, knowing that she shouldn't argue, that he had her best interests at heart.

"I say so. Right, time to get going. Thanks for everything doctor." Will replied, picking up Mac, carrying her to the car that he had called to take them back to his apartment, where she was to remain for the next 6 weeks. Even though it was only a sprained ankle, Will wasn't willing to let her out of his sight for too long.

"I feel like I have my own personal chef and butler, you're spoiling me Billy. It's going to be weird going back to my own apartment and having to do things for myself, after staying here and being waited on, hand and foot for the past 6 weeks. But, on the plus side, the pain's almost gone and I can wear heels again. I haven't much enjoyed being so short…" Mac laughed, as Will brought her breakfast in bed. He'd made chocolate chip pancakes and coffee and they were eating breakfast, while cuddle up in bed. This was the perfect way to spend a Sunday in both their eyes.

"You know you don't have to, right?"

"What? Wear heels? I need to, can't have you towering over me any longer than necessary." Mac giggled.

"No, that's not what I meant. You don't have to go back to your apartment. You're more than welcome to stay here. Every day can be like this Mac."

"Are you asking me to move in with you Billy?"

"I am. I've enjoyed having you around over these past 6 weeks. It's nice to have you here. I sleep better when you're beside me; I feel better knowing that you don't have to go across town to your empty apartment after work. And, most of all, I like knowing that you're here, so that I can do this any time I want," he replied, leaning over for a passionate kiss, that only ended when the need for air took over. "life's just much better with you around. So, what do you say? Are you willing to take the next step in our relationship and move in with me?"

"Oh Billy, I don't know what to say…"

"Yes would be nice…" He replied with a wink.

"Yes! Yes! YES!" She replied laughing! "Of course I'd like to move in with you. I love you so much. I've loved spending all this time with you. I can't wait move in with you."

"I love you too Mac." He replied with a kiss. "And I'm so glad we're doing this. I guess your clumsiness has given us a push in right direction. Eh? God, I'm so happy we're doing this."

"Do you think you can put up with my clumsiness?" Mac laughed.

"If it means having you by my side, all the time, I think it may be a burden that I can bear." He replied with a wink. "I'm just glad you've agreed to it. I'm looking forward to sharing my life with you."

"Me too Billy." She replied with a smile and another kiss. "Me too!"

_**I hope you enjoyed it. Remember to be nice with your reviews... ;) **_


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